Singapore

Green grid: Singapore has few fossil-fuel resources to power its heavily industrial economy, but it does have lots and lots of sun, which has inspired a series of stunningly beautiful, solar-powered architectural showpieces. Foster + Partners has designed a collection of solar panel–clad towers and sloping canopies, scheduled for completion in 2016, that will occupy an entire city block on Beach Road. Meanwhile, the parks department has unleashed Gardens by the Bay, a string of gardens around the city marina with huge greenhouses supported by greenery-swathed "Supertree" columns that collect rainwater and generate solar power (pictured). Full of fabulously colorful flowers, they paint a picture of an environmentally friendly future that goes way beyond green.

Living city: Take a gander at the ever-changing face of Singapore on an eco-friendly, electric bumboat ride around the harbor; or, go up top of the ION Orchard shopping center for an unbeatable view of the skyline. Afterward, cruise the city's famous street carts, raved about by practically every foodie who's ever visited, in search of Malay and Indian finger-food treats.

Sustainable stay: The 439-room Regent Singapore is full of plush textures and delicate carved-wood furniture and is the greenest choice in town, having earned the city's first Energy Smart Hotel Award for its innovative heat-recovery and recycling systems.

Regent Singapore
1 Cuscaden Road
Tel: 65 6733 8888

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